Outdoor Game: Germ Tag & Handwashing

Objective
See how germs spread, and that soap can stop them (if you wash well).

Time
20 minutes

What You Need

 * A marked area with enough room for students to run around.
 * A few tokens of two types, one to mark who is a Germ and one to mark who is a Soap

  Preparation

 * Mark a playing area
 * Mark a small area as the Sink or Handwashing Station

Round One
Split the students into two groups: about 10% Germs, the rest Hands. Explain:
 * Hands run with their hands in front of them. 
 * Germs chase Hands. 
 * When a Germ tags any part of a Hand player, the Germ and Hand hold hands and continue to chase other Hands. 
 * When they tag more Hands, they make a longer chain. 
 * The round is over when all the Hands are tagged.

Discuss Round One
Ask students: ''What happened? ''

Students should explain: A few Germs can quickly infect a large group. When one person has germs on his or her hands, they can get germs all over.

Ask students: How did Hands feel as they got surrounded?

Students should explain: Hands felt like Germs were everywhere and no way to get away from Germs.

Round Two
Split the students into three groups: about 10% Germs, 5% Soap, and the rest are Hands.

Explain: ​'When each Hand is done, it can run away from the Germ When the Hands have left, the Soap must count 5 seconds and then can start chasing Hands again. <p style="margin-bottom:0in">''If the Hand does not wash for 20 seconds, the Germ can call the Hand back and the Hand remains stuck to (holding hands with) the Germ as the Germ chain chases more Hands. ''
 * <p style="margin-bottom:0in">Soap players carry soap (or tokens representing soap) with them to show their status. 
 * <p style="margin-bottom:0in">As before, Germs chase Hands and make chains. 
 * <p style="margin-bottom:0in">Now a Soap can tag a chain of a Germ and one or more Hand. 
 * <p style="margin-bottom:0in">Then the soap plus chain comes to the Handwashing Station. Each Hand acts out washing hands for 20 seconds.

Discuss Round Two

 * <p style="margin-bottom:0in">Ask students: What happened. How is Round 2 different than Round 1?

<li style="margin-bottom:0in">​Students should explain: Soap slows down how fast germs spread.</li>
 * <p style="margin-bottom:0in">Ask students: Was this round faster or slower than last round?

<li style="margin-bottom:0in">​Slower. Now, a few germs do not spread and infect everyone</li>
 * <p style="margin-bottom:0in">Ask students: What happens if people do not wash well enough to get rid of germs?

<li style="margin-bottom:0in">​If people do not wash well, the germs can still chase a lot.</li>

Key Words
Outdoor game, Prevention, Diarrhea, Handwashing, Soap